Cooking for Optimal Health with Amanda Haas
In this episode, hosts Doro and Tricia invite Amanda Haas, a cookbook author and founder of Amanda Haas Cooks and Haas Cooking School online, to share her expertise in cooking for optimal health. The episode was recorded during the Achieving Optimal Health Conference in 2022. Amanda guides listeners through her simple and fast recipe for salmon wrapped in parchment paper, also known as "en papillote" cooking along with a signature lemon vinaigrette that accompanies a side salad. Listeners are inspired to create this nourishing and delicious meal, which showcases Amanda Haas's passion for cooking healthy and flavorful dishes. Throughout the episode, Amanda's expertise and love for using quality ingredients shine, providing valuable tips and techniques for achieving optimal health through mindful cooking.
More on Amanda haas
Website: https://www.amandahaascooks.com/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/amanda.haas.718
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/amandahaascooks/?hl=en
Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCSCA1B8PA1ztJswVJkacxzg
FOLLOW HEALTH GIG:
Learn more about BB&R and Achieving Optimal Health Conference by visiting BBRconsulting.us
Quotes:
“I’ve always understood that there’s a huge connection between what I eat and how I feel.” -Amanda Haas
“It doesn’t have to take a lot of time, cost a lot of money, or be hard to cook great recipes.” -Amanda Haas
“The most searched term in food cookbooks and food medicine is ‘anti-inflammatory.’” -Amanda Haas
Show Notes:
Amanda Haas: Today I'm going to show you how to make one of my favorite recipes. And one of the best things about it is that it is great for you, but it's super fast to make as well.
Amanda Haas: one of the things I love when I cook too, is that I'm constantly trying to show people how to make foods that are naturally better for them
Amanda Haas: I learned how to make this in French cooking school, and it was more about butter for everything but heart healthy olive oil is what I love.
Amanda Haas: I've already cut about the bottom third off the asparagus because that part is like bristly and not tasty. You won't love that.
Amanda Haas: tell all of your friends you're cooking in parchment or in French it's called en papillote and it steams your food so that the fish is going to be so flavorful and it won't dry out. So this is also a great application for halibut and other fishes that tend to dry out if you cook them a little bit too long.
Amanda Haas: salmon is so forgiving because of its fat content, the good fats we all need in our lives.
Amanda Haas: Another fancy chef trick is that I cut things on the bias, so I cut them at an angle. And I don't know, they just look fancier. We eat with our eyes, right? So as much as we can do to make things look pretty, that's pretty awesome.
Amanda Haas: I think the best foods are usually the most simply prepared
Amanda Haas: I'm always thinking about eating the rainbow, right, and that there are different health properties associated to every color of food found on Earth. And so I'm looking at red, orange, yellow, green. It is just loaded with vitamins and minerals, naturally, which I love as well.
Amanda Haas: What a fun idea to do for lunch or even a weeknight dinner where you don't want to make anything else to go with it and you're set. Or if you want to do something like roast some potatoes, you could even cut them up into small pieces and roast them at the same time in the oven.
Amanda Haas: If you want a milder flavor, you can use avocado oil. I love avocado oil because you still get a ton of health benefits. And for cooking, it's got a really high smoke point, which is so great because it retains its health properties up to, I want to say 450, maybe it's more like 425 degrees.
Amanda Haas: You only need probably the juice of two lemons to make a big batch of vinaigrette. And then the best part is, is that you can keep it in your fridge for weeks. Don't tell anybody I told you that.
Amanda Haas: Salt is my secret ingredient for adding flavor because it brings out the flavor in everything. Then when people are worried about their salt consumption, I like to always remind them that if you're cooking at home and you're making things from scratch, it's nearly impossible to add more salt than what you would be getting in frozen food or restaurant food or something packaged. So I do not worry about that, especially if I'm using kosher salt or sea salt
Amanda Haas: if I shop at the farmer's market, I always really wash things thoroughly because you'll typically find dirt and things still to just a sign that actually came from the earth
Amanda Haas: I'm just using one knife for everything today because I'm a huge fan of not having to dirty a lot of dishes.
Amanda Haas: I'm going to enjoy all of this myself. I hope you all will, too. Treat yourself to this.
Amanda Haas: This is such a satisfying meal. My favorite way to cook salmon by far. So whether you're treating yourself to this of the conference or you decide to bake it separately one day for yourself or a crowd of people, I hope you enjoy making it and tasting it as much as I have.